Barb's latest Willapa update.

Hello Everyone,
If you have any questions or comments regarding any of the information provided through these emails for the 2025 salmon season, please reply to this email and/or contact Barbara McClellan at #360-249-1213.

Recreational Marine Area Fishery

Since our last update, effort and catch in the Willapa Bay marine recreational salmon fishery decreased from August 25 – 31, 2025 compared to the previous week. The highest effort (in terms of vessels) and number of anglers were reported on Sunday, August 31st, but the highest hatchery Chinook catch last week was reported on Saturday, August 30th. Starting on August 28th, the tide cycle for the Willapa Bay marine recreational fishery was ideal for catching salmon with early morning high tides and smaller tidal exchanges. This tide series lasted through Monday, Sept 1st.

There were 88 hatchery Chinook salmon and 66 coho observed by staff and caught in this statistical week 35 for August 25 - 31. There were no unmarked, natural origin (NOR) Chinook retained during this same timeframe since they are illegal in this fishery starting August 1, 2025. However, there were 15 NOR Chinook encountered and released from this fishery documented through angler interviews either at the Tokeland or South Bend docks. Currently, this marine recreational fishery has accrued a total of 20 NOR Chinook impacts, or 61.1% of the preseason expected natural origin Chinook impacts for the season. (See attachment: 2025 WB Marine Area Recreational Data & Catch Estimate Summary Draft 09.04.2025.pdf).

This week and through the weekend, there will be some minus tides at low water that includes larger tidal exchanges. These are not favorable fishing tides for the marine area recreational fishery in Willapa Bay. As we move more into September, angler effort is expected to decline in the northern area of Willapa harbor for the marine area recreational fishery, and anglers will likely start to move upstream into freshwater as fish move into those areas.

Spawning Ground Surveys

As of this week, staff have observed almost 2100 live Chinook staging in the Nemah River and approximately 750 live Chinook staging in the Naselle River. At this point, there have been 12 dead Chinook recovered (7 in Nemah River and 5 in Naselle River), but staff have not observed any spawning or redds in either of these rivers below the weirs. Staff have now started stream surveys in the Lower South Fork Willapa River and upstream of the weir on the North Nemah River. Historically, Chinook salmon begin spawning in Willapa Bay rivers the middle of September.

Hatchery Chinook Rack Returns

Naselle River Hatchery
To-date, 936 adult and 32 jack hatchery Chinook salmon have volunteered into the attraction channel and recruited into the hatchery. Of the 936 adults, 901 were hatchery origin and 35 were natural origin Chinook. This is 248% more hatchery Chinook currently in the Naselle Hatchery compared to where we were last year at this same time. Of the 35 natural origin Chinook, 33 were placed upstream above the hatchery. There has been a total of 44 Chinook mortalities (20 hatchery males, 24 hatchery females, 2 natural females) reported in the Naselle Hatchery from August 1 – Sept 3, 2025. (See attachment: Naselle Hatchery Adult CHK Summary 09.04.2024.pdf)

Nemah and Forks Creek hatcheries
To-date, no Chinook salmon have recruited into Nemah Hatchery or Forks Creek Hatchery at this point.

Commercial Fishery

The commercial fishery in Willapa Bay had two 12-hour salmon openers last week on August 26th and 30th in the south bay using tangle net gear in Areas 2N, 2R and 2M (only open on Aug 30th). There were 886 hatchery Chinook and 56 coho landed from the fishery combined for these two days of salmon fishing last week. To-date, the fishery is approximately 59.9% of the preseason hatchery Chinook estimate expected for the season. The fleet has accrued a total of 117 local, natural origin (NOR) Chinook impacts to-date since the fishery started on August 13th, or approximately 39.0% of the total preseason, local NOR Chinook estimated impacts available for the season for the commercial fishery in Willapa Bay for 2025.

This week, the Willapa Bay commercial fishery is closed to salmon fishing for the entire week. The fishery will reopen to salmon fishing on Sept 8th, 10th, and 12th next week using tangle net gear in the south bay areas 2N, 2M, and 2R. Area 2T (near Tokeland) will open on Sept 12th for one day next week. An update from this opener will be provided in next week’s weekly update email.

As always, in-season data is preliminary and subject to change.
All data provided through these weekly email updates for the months of August and September will be posted to the Willapa Bay Marine Area 2.1 Recreational Creel Monitoring page of our website listed below.

If you have any comments or questions specific to the information provided in these emails, please submit your comments to WillapaBay@dfw.wa.gov.

Additionally, if you know of anyone who might be interested in receiving these in-season update emails or any other information staff send out regarding Willapa Bay, please forward this email and have them reply to WillapaBay@dfw.wa.gov stating they would like to be added to our email distribution list.

Thank you and Fish On! ><((((*>
Barbara McClellan


Online reference links you may be interested in:

Willapa Bay Marine Area 2.1 Recreational Creel Monitoring:
Willapa Bay Recreational Salmon Reports | Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife

Willapa Bay and Grays Harbor (non-treaty) Commercial Salmon Fisheries (Regulations and landed catch):
Commercial Willapa Bay and Grays Harbor Gillnet Salmon Fishery | Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife

Ocean Sampling Program for Ocean Areas 1- 4: Ocean sport salmon quota report | Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife